Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-06-28
POOR
HR OrTRRs INTO THR COURT ROOM ALL
BROKEN UP.
The Prosecution Closes lis Case and Lawyer Parsons
Opens for the Dsfsnse-Hs Objects 10 Intro
duciDg the Testimony Of Sharp Before
the Senate Committee.

the Senate Committee.
New YoR, June 27.-Jake Sharp tot
tered into court this morning looking weirC
and worn.
The reason for this was that he passed :
terrible night, not even getting as mucl
sleep as was his lot Saturday night. Mrs
Sharp, who had been privileged to remair
with him, had not rested one moment du
ring the night.
With the beginning of the reading of hi
testimony before the Senate Investigating
Committee Sharp opened his lustreless eye
and attempted to interest himself in tn,
proceedings.
The first business of the session was Il
again adjourn the June Oyer and Terminel
to Monday, July IL, after which Harrison
D. Kerr, one of the Seventh Avenue Rail
road directors, was called as a witness fol
the prosecution, but he failing to respond,
Senate stenogapher Correll was recalled to
the stand while the balance of the testi.
nony of Sharp before the Senate Commit.
tee, or so much thereof as the prosecution
desired, was read by Mr.. Nicoll.
Mr. Nicoll finished reading the testimony
at 11:17 o'clock and the people rested Their
case.
Ex-Alderman Fulgraff came into court
this morning. and had short private con.
ference with Peter Mitchell, of counsel fol
the defense, then hurried out, closely fol.
lowed by the District Attorney, who acted
as though he was fearful that the States
best witness was going to turn traitor and
he must do something TO prevent it.
A ten minutes rest ives taken after the
prosecution closed, after which Mr.. Par
sons began the opening address for the
defense.
Mr.. Parsons said that the duty had fal-
len upon him to open for the defense, but
before he proceeded to do so he had two
motions to make that he desired TO appear
on record. First, to ask the prosecution to
elect whether it would stand upon that
part of the indictment charging an agree
ment to bribe Fullgraff, or on that part
alleging that he was in fact bribed by
Sharp. Motion denied.
Second, that the court advise the jury tO
acquit the defendant as the case now
stands under Section 410 Of the Code OF
Criminal Procedure: This motion was
also denied and an exception taken.
Mr.. Parsons then opened as follows: II
there has been any expectation that coun-
sci for the defense supposed that this case
was to be won by the use Of elegant rheto-
ric, by eloquent oppeals TO the sympathy
of the jurors, that expectation will be
hardly realized by anything that l shall
have to say"
PARSONS PLEA FOR POOR SHARP.
Mr.. Parsons says that despite the months
of preparation, despite the assistance re-
ceived from the report of the Senate com
mittee and the aldermanic trials, the pros.
ecution had not furnished one single iota
of evidence pointing directly to the guilt OF
the defendant.
He recounted the difficulties under
which the defendant labored, and warned
the jury not to be misled by the testimony
OF Miller and Pearson, who are not al.
legged to have been bribed by Sharp in the
indictment on trial. He cautioned them
against permitting such testimony to
deepen their impression against the de-
fendant.
Mr.. Parsons said that the defense would
show that the combine among the Alder
men for business purposes" was not in
stigated by the defendant or by the officers
of his company, but was scheme con-
cocted among themselves for their own
wicked ends. He said the testimony Of
the chief witness for the prosecution-Full'
graff-himself proved that fact
Counsel asked the jury if the prosecution
had proved anything beyond the fact that
the Aldermen had conspired to levy tax on
every project that came before them. He
asked If the prosecution had proved any
thing to show that the defendant had cor
rupted or debauched these Aldermen. He
paid his attention next TO the jnformers
and said that Colonel Bliss, who acted as
Sharp's counsel during the Senate inyesti-
CATION, would testify that Sharp was not
allowed to refuse TO testify before that
body, but was forced to incrimiDate him
self.
81 have get to learn" Mr.. Parsons con.
cluded, that there is one law for the rich
and other law for tina poor" This was an
answer to Mr.. Nicholl's remarks about
Sharp's wealth.
Mr.. Parsons was strongly opposed to the
reading Of
Mr.. sHARP's TESTIMONY
before the Senate Investigation Committee,
thus making him, contrary 10 law, wit.
ness against himself. "But under all the
disadvantages surrounding him he denies
that he had any connection with the $500,
600 which the prosecution says was a cor
ruption fund. The laws say you can moi
convict on the uncorroborated evidence oi
an accomplice. Where, in all this case, il
there any cOrrobOration Of the informer?'
Mr.. Parsons argued that ali the sums
alleged to have been paid out as a corrup
ton fund did not agree with the proc
offered by the prosecution, which must b
accepted by the jury rs proof OF limo
cence. The speaker contended that thu
testimony Of the legislative clerk thai
Sharp offered him s. 900 to iuterpOlate g
chain Of words in n street railroad bill wa
absolutely false, whereas counsel will pro
duce the bill itself from Albany and prove
that Sharp's contention was that there
was something in the bill that ought u
have been taken out
81 SHALL" continued Counsel, submit
a witness TO you who knows all about tha
transactions connected with the Broadway
enterprise down to the meeting Of the
board of Aldermen. shall have him tel
You the story commercially and not discon,
nectedly as the prosecutor did In ref
ereuce to the preparations for the early
morning meeting there was great deal o.
romance about il"
Mr, Parsons concluded his address with
an appeal TO the Jury not TO be influenced
by anything hut the evidence II
determining their verdict He had
spoken for almost five hours.
THE FIRST WINES
called for the defense was John ii. Serb
ner. Of Robinson. Scribner & Bright, coun'